Sales Superstars

@VBNW HEAD 1:John King
Re/Max Crown Realty
Like many leaders in local real estate, John King learned the ropes from watching his father build a business.
In 1985, John King Sr. established King Realty in Sebastian. Eleven years ago, John King Jr. went to work for him as an agent.
This year, he has sold $6 million in real estate with 130 transactions.
“I started my career during the last real estate boom. It was a very unusual time in the business and provided me with a unique introduction,” says King. “I am happy to have started during that time, because I was in the position to see the flipside of that growth and had to find ways to adapt to a very different marketplace in the years to follow.”
King credits his success to “hard work, perseverance and belief in the market,” which has made the company “emerge stronger than ever before.”
A graduate of Florida State University, he earned a degree in business management and became branch manager for Florida Engineered Construction Products.
He and his wife, Aida, have three children, a 6-year-old daughter and twin 3-year-old sons.
A true native of the Florida lifestyle, King is a fishing and hunting enthusiast who knows his way around a grill.
“I also enjoy watching college football, especially when the Seminoles are doing well,” he says.
When it comes to unusual requests by clients, he says, “it varies daily. We specialize in doing what no one else can.”
The essential principle he learned from his father was “forging long term relationships with his customers.”
Although the market has changed and real estate transactions have become more complex and “far more demanding” he believes that the fundamentals “are still strong and there is a great deal of room for growth.”

@VBNW BODY:The son of Ron Rennick Sr., a legendary presence since 1980 in the real estate and auction markets on the Treasure Coast, Ron Rennick Jr. grew up around the business of buying and selling property.
But, he had to carve his own path to success. He armed himself with a top notch education, traveled the world and paid his dues in the trenches to finally spearhead the company’s recent expansion this fall with the opening of a new island office on Cardinal Drive.
“This marks our growing sales activity on both sides of the bridges,” says Rennick Jr., now a broker with 17 years experience in local real estate.
Rennick Jr. monitors the company’s progress through “repeat client business earned along with repeat referrals that we receive,” he says. “And thankfully, we have seen these numbers grow steadily over our company’s decades in business.”
In fact, his motto is “Accepting Lifelong Clients,” conveying he treats people so well they will consider doing business with him whenever they are ready to make another move.
“We have sold all types of real estate in virtually each and every subdivision and area of Indian River County,” says Rennick Jr.
After graduating high school in Vero Beach, Rennick Jr. was taught a valuable lesson in the ethics of hard work.
“I was encouraged by my father to sign up with a century old organization, The Southwestern Company, to sell children’s books door to door during the summertime,” he says. “The young people who work for Southwestern often work 80 hours per week to help finance their own education and learn a lot about life and persistence.”
He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, spending a summer in Madrid, Spain, where he cultivated an abiding love for art not surprising, considering the family’s extensive collections, antique store and auction house.
Later, Rennick Jr. was recruited to take on the Midwest sales region for a forest products company, eventually landing in Chicago.
In recent years, he completed a business program at Harvard University and is currently an alumni board member.
He returned to Vero Beach in 1996 during the heyday of area real estate.
“A prevailing conventional wisdom existed in Vero Beach leading up to 2005 that our very unique town was ‘insulated’ from major price dips as home prices soared,” he says. “But that sentiment proved painfully untrue. Many of my colleagues in real estate buckled down during the downturn and went back to the basics of real estate in recommending more realistic pricing for their listings.”
Rennick Jr. recognizes the current market balance is more preferable to industry veterans than the “steep run-up that could again be unsustainable,” he says.
Married to Sandra, with whom he has a 1-month-old son, James, Rennick Jr. appreciates the diversity of area restaurants, but there’s nothing quite like homemade when it comes to Southern cooking.
“My wife once surprised me by obtaining a secret recipe for buttermilk pie, which has the sweet flavor of vanilla custard, from a little restaurant in Missouri that we frequent on a traditional annual trip,” he says. “It tasted even better from her kitchen!”

@VBNW HEAD 1:Scott Reynolds
Dale Sorensen Real Estate
Scott Reynolds may be a relative newcomer to real estate, having started his career in 2002, but he’s beem on a fast track to the top. With a dynamic team on his side, including his brother, Shane Reynolds, and his wife of 15 years, Janice Reynolds, Scott projects to close out the year with $50 million in sales.
“I am able to be so successful due to the support of my wife, both at home and at work,” he says.
A former football and soccer player throughout high school in Dallas, Reynolds attended technical school to become an engineering and operations manager with national wireless companies prior to embarking on his adventure in real estate.
“I’m a bit of a geek and love techy stuff, which actually works very well in my real estate career as I use modern technology to help my clients,” he says.
His knowledge base allows him to create and use new tools to help his clients know how to position themselves in the market and make critical decisions about buying and selling property.
In 2005, while working in Ohio, “I had only been in the real estate business for three years when I was recognized by RIS Media as ‘a Top 50 Realtor on the Rise,’” says Reynolds. Since joining Dale Sorensen Real Estate, where he co-manages the downtown office, he has consistently been recognized as a top producer since 2009.
“The biggest change in real estate since I got my license is the technology,” he says. “People are able to search for homes worldwide while sitting in the comfort of their own homes. But, we are also able to market our clients’ homes to the world in very innovative ways, intuitively being able to determine a client’s needs and match them up with the property of their dreams within minutes.”
When he “unplugs,” Reynolds enjoys boating, travel and dining at his favorite out of the way restaurant, the Yellow Dog Café near Melbourne.
“I have a simple philosophy,” he says. “Always treat people how I like to be treated. I believe in honesty, integrity and kindness as a way of life, both personally and professionally.”

@VBNW HEAD 1:Gene Billero
Billero and Billero
Gene Billero exudes a quiet confidence and a no-pressure approach to sales, assuring buyers to take their time making decisions about the biggest financial investment in life and guaranteeing sellers the deals that come to the table are rock solid.
He and his wife of 32 years, Susan Billero, established their family owned and operated business in 1982, which now includes daughter Hollie Billero Buldo and son E. L. Billero. Daughter Victoria Billero is a student at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Billero and Billero is a select member of The Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a global network of 500 premier real estate firms, affiliating the brokerage with similar boutique style establishments able to assist all types of buyers and sellers domestically and from overseas.
“Covering the whole spectrum from residential to commercial, rentals to business acquisitions, no transaction is too large or too small,” says Billero.
A highpoint in his career was “being named number one sales agent in the Southeast region of the US,” he says.
A graduate of Stockton State College in New Jersey, Billero and his wife moved to Indian River County 32 years ago. Long associated with Habitat for Humanity, Billero believes every person deserves to have a home.
“Constantly striving to give back to the community is a core aspect of the company,” says Billero. “Not only the owners, but also agents and staff are heavily involved in charitable causes.”
No wonder the company slogan is “our people make the difference.” Unwavering when it comes to “honesty, loyalty, hard work and teamwork,” Billero has earned the respect of his colleagues in the real estate arena, his clients and his neighbors.
It was “the way I was brought up,” he explains. “It’s about God, family and loyal friends.” When he’s not working, Billero’s passion is golf, tennis and spending time with his 5-month-old grandson, Jonathan Eugene Buldo. He also enjoys “a secret little Italian restaurant outside the area,” he says, along with tinkering with automobiles “new, old and classic.”
His most unusual request from a client was to ring in the New Year at a closing table.

@VBNW BODY:As the president and broker of Orchid Island Realty, Bob Niederpruem is regarded as the expert on exclusively selling properties within Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club.
In the 17 years he has been with the company, he has sold over 325 properties in the community.
In fact, since beginning his career 26 years ago in the Tampa Bay area, Niederpruem has been focusing primarily on real estate in luxury golf communities. Perhaps it’s because he has a real understanding of what good service entails and how to deliver it.
A graduate of Florida State University, Niederpruem earned a bachelor’s degree in hotel and restaurant administration. Prior to becoming a Realtor, he managed Steak & Ale restaurants and TGI Fridays.
“Although I really enjoyed the restaurant business, the late nights, long hours and weekends made me rethink my career choice,” he says.
Shortly before moving to Vero Beach in 1996, Niederpruem met his wife of 15 years, Nancy Niederpruem. They have a son Ryan, 12, and a daughter, Alison, 9, who both attend Saint Edward’s School.
“Ryan is currently on the sixth grade basketball team,” says Niederpruem, whose influence has turned Ryan into a big fan of tennis and golf. “Alison loves to sing, act and dance and is enjoying spending a lot of her time at Riverside Children’s Theatre.”
The highlight of his career was the day he drove over the Wabasso Bridge 17 years ago for his interview at Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club.
“My first thought was ‘Spectacular!’” he says. “At the time, there were only 10 homes built. Immediately, I could see the beauty and I had the vision to know that Orchid Island was a rare ocean-to-river community with a magnificent Arnold Palmer championship golf course. I knew I wanted to be a part of it.”
A self-described people person, he genuinely loves his work.
“When you totally believe in what you are selling, it makes it very easy,” he says. “You can’t help but be enthusiastic and positive every day.”
For relaxation, the family travels to exotic destinations on cruise ships. Last summer, they toured the Norway fjords. Niederpruem’s favorite dining destinations are closer to home: Maison Martinique and the Ocean Grill.
About the economy’s impact on area real estate, Niederpruem is optimistic.
“It is a cyclical market and it’s currently on its way up,” he says. “We have had an outstanding year and it is not slowing down.”

@VBNW BODY:Steven Schlitt grew up in the real estate business. The son of Ed Schlitt, known as “the man who sold a town,” Steven is the chief operating officer of one of the area’s first real estate offices.
But unlike his sister and partner, Linda Schlitt Gonzalez, he didn’t go straight from high school into real estate.
After graduating in 1973 from Vero Beach High School, where he was president of the pep club and yearbook editor, Schlitt earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in advertising and marketing then moved to California.
“I got my real estate license in 1975, but never used it,” he says.
Out west, Steven had a successful career in landscape design and construction and, ironically, “fell in love with real estate” restoring Victorian and Craftsman architecture.
Sixteen years ago, he returned to his hometown and large extended family to help his sister run the business.
“I missed fried okra, key lime pie, fritters and hush puppies,” says Schlitt. “They just aren’t available outside the South.”
Schlitt negotiated the purchase of the company’s current Vero Beach and Sebastian offices, which he gutted and converted.
“I give new life to old buildings,” says Schlitt. “Most people say, ‘just tear that down,’ but I want to maintain the history of the area, the character.”
Although he doesn’t personally sell real estate, “I manage over $280,000,000 in transactions,” says Schlitt, who supports about 180 agents in the company’s nine offices from Brevard south through Indian River and Saint Luce counties.
“To be one of the largest companies in all three markets and one of the largest two Coldwell Banker franchises in Florida is a terrific milestone,” he says.
Like his father, who introduced the first computer to Vero Beach, for which he built a 15- foot long by 8-foot high room to house it, Schlitt has introduced numerous technological advances to the business of selling property.
A rapid response system automatically sends messages to agents so they can get back with potential and existing clients within 10 minutes.
Schlitt’s goal is to have video of every company listing and the surrounding communities on the Internet.
“In the next few years, people will search and look for real estate through video installed on street lights,” he says. “Agents will film neighborhoods and communities to create interest.
About the current state of the market, he says, “this summer was really hot. Then, in the fall there was a lull due to the sequestration, people lost confidence. That evened things out. Now, it seems to be rolling on a steadier pace.”
While engaged with the complexities of keeping up with the times and preparing for the future, Schlitt unwinds with the simple pleasures in life.
Married for 35 years, he enjoys kayaking on the river, dining at The French Quarter and Citrus Grillhouse, often lunching with his real estate colleagues, and spending weekend mornings “devoted to my landscape, a small wilderness of Florida friendly plantings.”
“My father and mother set a high standard,” he says. “They spent a lifetime striving to be the best in the profession and that is what I strive for every day.”

@VBNW BODY:Clark French is truly a Renaissance man. In a previous incarnation, he was in the retail business and owned a movie theater. He’s an art collector, lover of literature, film buff and one of the most dapper dressers around.
Of course he has to be to keep up with wife Lu French and his ever fabulous business partner, Cindy O’Dare. Together, they make up the French-O’Dare Team at Premier Estate Properties.
With 28 years in real estate as an agent and broker in Palm Beach and now Indian River County, French is consistently one of the highest producing luxury Realtors in Florida, with annual sales frequently in excess of $100 million and total career sales of over $2 billion.
That makes him one of the top Realtors across the globe.
“I am fortunate to have as clients some of the most successful and accomplished people in the world,” says French. “The successes of my clients inspire me daily.”
French’s high-profile, high-net worth clients include hundreds of CEOs, business founders, celebrity actors, musicians, athletes and some of the wealthiest individuals nationally and internationally.
He has been requested to “set up a Valentine’s Day surprise for a world-renowned athlete’s wife in a newly purchased estate,” he reveals.
On another occasion, he was asked to “have house keys plated in platinum for a seller-client to present to the new buyer as a gesture of thanks.”
He has also met and picked up “high-profile celebrities in unusual locations,” and he’s traveled to all corners of the earth to evaluate trade properties.
“You’d be surprised by who comes to Vero Beach looking for homes to buy,” he says.
The majority of clients he works with are moving up from the south.
“As much as 65 percent of our business comes from folks leaving South Florida,” he says. “Buyers are more educated as they have ever been about general market conditions and comparative sales. It is our role to educate them on the nuances of the market that only experience and deep knowledge can provide.”
He enjoys spending free time with family, which includes his three children, dining out though he doesn’t have a favorite restaurant (“too many chefs are great friends”), kayaking on the river and he recently returned from hiking in Vermont, where he attended a family reunion.
An alumnus of Loyola University, French is “involved in over half of all oceanfront estate transactions on the island including eight of the top 10 sales in Vero Beach’s history,” he says.

@VBNW BODY:Specializing in upscale residential sales, Michael Thorpe has been a part of the real estate market in Vero Beach since 1981.
For the past 20 years, he has managed his own firm, growing from a single agent office to handling 24 agents in the first year.
Nowadays, he shares leadership responsibilities of more than 60 sales associates with his wife, Kimberly Hardin Thorpe, an associate broker.
“My business partner, Kimberly Hardin Thorpe, and I are in the top one percent of all Vero Beach Realtors. I have brokered some of the largest transactions on the barrier island,” says Thorpe, who handled the sale of Michael Creek for $20 million on the southeast side of the Wabasso Causeway.
Long known for his marketing ingenuity, Thorpe’s affiliation with Sotheby’s has taken his company’s ability to showcase residential and commercial properties to a whole new level.
For instance, a recent open house of Splendida Dimora, a $19 million oceanfront estate, featured opera singers, fine wines and a guest list to generate interest in real estate markets near and far. The 16,000 square-foot house was also showcased at the Monaco Yacht Show via an Academy Award-worthy video of the property.
When Thorpe first started selling real estate, cell phones were uncommon, so he had to use pay phones or wait to return to the office to make appointments. The MLS was not computerized yet, so he used hardcopy books to show clients.
“Today, 90 percent of buyers select or exclude properties from countless online sources. They usually choose to remain anonymous until they contact the listing agent to add the property to their itinerary,” he explains.
“Often, once buyers fail at a few attempts to source properties themselves, they value the experience, background and unique perspective of a successful and encouraging professional, who can win their confidence and ultimately their loyalty.”
One of the highlights of Thorpe’s career was the development and sales of 144 residences that comprise the Bermuda Club, from a failing “lender owned community formally known as Coralstone Phase II,” he says.
His most unusual request from a client was to help sell a business, “but don’t tell anyone in the area nor put a sign up.” Somehow, he managed to put a deal together.
Even though the introduction of social media has created new opportunities, some things never change.
“Networking and connecting with people in general through friends and social circles has never gone out of fashion,” says Thorpe. “Nothing shall ever completely replace personalized service and contact.”
Thorpe has a grown son, Josh, “living the life in Hawaii,” and two daughters, Shannon, 14, on the honor roll at John Carroll Catholic High School, and Rachel, 12, also an honor roll student at St. Helen Catholic School in Vero Beach.
His stepson, Harrison Hardin, 8, excels at countless sports at Saint Edward’s School.
Thorpe’s personal favorite sports are surfing (he can often be found riding the waves in Vero and Sebastian) and mountain biking, but “I will try most anything our children are interested in,” he says. “That keeps me stimulated, and spending quality time with my children is especially rewarding.”
An avid reader, Thorpe “analyzes local trends in real estate, reading -- not necessarily novels, but a diverse assortment of topics of interest, mostly online accessible nonfiction,” he says.
He and his wife also enjoy dining at Avanzare (Thorpe loves “anything Italian or Thai”) and they frequent Kata and The Tides.

@VBNW BODY:In 1980, after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Alex “Buzz” MacWilliam, III went to work for his family’s real estate firm.
His father, Alex MacWilliam II, who passed away exactly one year ago, started the business in 1949, having grown up on the island as one of its first residents.
Among his many achievements, he was instrumental in the creation of John’s Island and the township of Indian River Shores.
Buzz’s grandfather, Alex MacWilliam I, a former mayor of Vero Beach, helped develop Riomar, the Mosquito Control District, which made the island inhabitable, and he implemented the height restrictions on the island which has been essential in maintaining the unique character of this charming seaside village.
Nicknamed “buzzer” by his sister, Cynthia, who as a child couldn’t pronounce the word “brother,” Buzz MacWilliam has embraced his role in continuing the family’s legacy.
“When I started in 1980, we had one secretary and 15 sales associates. Today, we have two offices, eight administrative personnel and 65 sales associates,” says Buzz.
With the help of his partner and brother-in-law, Jerome “Joe” Beasock, he has helped grow the company from a $25 million a year business to what it is today, a landmark presence on both the island and mainland with sales this year of $160 million.
The biggest changes he has seen in the industry are the computerized Multiple Listing Service (MLS) versus the old MLS books and Internet advertising.
“One thing that never changes is real estate is a ‘people business,’” says Buzz. “It is who you know and how you treat them; convincing people of the value of your services, being efficient and attentive.”
His father told him that if he cultivated his image as being honest, fair and dealing with integrity, he could be the best. That advice has served Buzz MacWilliam well over the years.
Now, his 24-year-old son, Alex MacWilliam IV, has come into the fold, working alongside Buzz, carrying on the family tradition.
His daughter, Chandler MacWilliam, 21, is a student at the University of Alabama. Stephanie MacWilliam, Buzz’s wife of 27 years, is the fashion editor for Vero Beach Magazine and a longtime associate of Sassy Boutique.
Perhaps the secret to Buzz’s success both personally and professionally is balance.
At work, he maintains intense focus, but he also sets aside time to unwind with colleagues golfing and fishing, with family traveling and making memories, and in solitude reading and reflecting.
He derives great satisfaction from the accomplishments of others, like when Realtor Roger Smith “sold the most expensive oceanfront home last year for $15.6 million,” he says.
The twinkle in Buzz MacWilliam’s eye reveals a sense of fun and adventure.
Once, he was asked by a client “to wear an A frame sandwich board on my body and walk along SR A1A advertising their property for sale,” Buzz recalls.
Although he took another approach, he succeeded in selling the property.
Born and raised in this community, Buzz MacWilliam takes pride in his position as a leader, a mentor and a steward of the environment.

It’s amazing what a man can achieve when he rolls up his sleeves and pours his heart and soul into his pursuits.

These stellar Realtors have blazed a trail of service to community and set new records in the local real estate market.

Along with their female counterparts, they have earned their way to the top helping people with the most important investment in life buying a home and actually making dreams come true.

Meet the men who have stayed the course during the recession, built confidence in the economy, continue to ensure an ethical environment prevails and maintain property values by choosing slow and steady over get-rich-fast schemes for today’s residents and generations to come.